This study investigates urban foraging behaviors in Nanjing, China, through analysis of user-generated content (UGC) from Xiaohongshu and biodiversity data from iNaturalist. Focusing on forager demographics, spatial patterns of foraging sites, and harvested species characteristics, the research reveals three key findings: (1) Female users dominated foraging-related UGC (71.8%), primarily sharing non-commercial experiences; (2) 58.5% of foraging occurred in urban park green spaces, with the most frequented sites overlapping national ecological protection zones; (3) 80 identified species (79.8% vascular plants) showed minimal conservation risks, though 2 invasive species were documented. The analysis highlights conflicts between informal foraging practices and formal ecological protection frameworks, exacerbated by ambiguous legal definitions. The study proposes integrating designated foraging zones into urban green space planning and establishing adaptive management strategies to balance ecological protection with public engagement. These findings provide empirical evidence for optimizing urban biodiversity governance in high-density cities.